Westbrook appears to be close to returning

While Westbrook is listed as out for the game, he appears to be close to returning.

Westbrook practiced with the Thunder on Tuesday, although the team only participated in a non-contact practice. It is an encouraging sign for the team but they will surely want to put him through a full practice before clearing him to return.

Westbrook is doing more and more each day in practice, but he still appears to be a few more days away from returning. The team has Thursday and Friday off before playing the Suns on Saturday so it is possible we could see him return for that game.

The Thunder are 3-3 this season without Westbrook, and 3-1 on his most recent stint off of the court so the team has been getting good contributions in his place.

Can Paul George keep it going?

On Monday, George had perhaps his best game of the season.

He matched a season-high with 32 points as he converted on a season-high 11-of-19 shots from the field, including a season-high 6 made three-pointers from the floor.

Of course, it has been a tough start for George on the offensive end of the floor this season as he is shooting a career-low 40.2 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from 3.

With the status of Westbrook still in doubt for Wednesday, it will be crucial for George to continue his hot-shooting performance against the Knicks in order to help carry the offensive load.

The team has been successful without Westbrook this season when George can get it going offensively as that lifts some of the burden off of other players, including the second unit.

George is averaging 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game for the Thunder and it seems reasonable to think his offensive numbers can improve even more once he begins to shoot consistently.

We’ll see if he can carry his momentum from Monday night into Wednesday.

N.Y. is struggling and the Thunder must take advantage

The Knicks are coming off of a 115-89 blowout loss to the Magic on Monday.

Knicks head coach David Fizdale said he is seriously considering a change to the starting lineup and would look at it before Wednesday’s game against the Thunder.

The Knicks have been starting Noah Vonleh, Mitchell Robinson, Frank Ntilikina, Damyean Dotson and Tim Hardaway Jr. this season and it’s possible that rookie Kevin Knox is inserted into the starting lineup on Wednesday.

Fizdale pulled Ntilikina just six minutes into Monday’s game against the Magic after he missed three consecutive shots and struggled otherwise during the game.

Of course, the Knicks are without Kristaps Porzingis after he suffered a torn ACL last season. The team does not have a current timetable for his return as he rehabs from surgery.

Former Thunder player, and fan favorite, Enes Kanter has been solid so far this season for the Knicks after averaging 15.4 points, a career-high 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

For the Thunder, though, they must continue to beat the teams they are supposed to and that includes a 4-10 Knicks team that is still trying to find its identity.

The game on Wednesday will tip-off at 7 p.m. CT and can be seen on FS OK.

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Cody Taylor

Cody Taylor is the Editor and Lead Writer for OKC Thunder Wire based out of Orlando, Florida. He previously spent five years covering the NBA for Basketball Insiders and HoopsWorld. In addition, he has also covered college sports at UCF, including baseball, football and basketball.